In order for the Arab civilisation to regain its past glories, the Arab world should begin by comprehending the indicators for the future, said UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Sheikh Mohammed made the remarks today while addressing a panel of the World Government Summit, which was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, said a Wam news agency report.

Sheikh Mohammed referred to a "clear message" he gave to the Arab governments 12 years ago that "you must change, or you will be changed."

"As we talk about resuming civilisation, we need hope. I am optimistic because it is the man who makes civilisation, economy and prosperity. If the Arab and Muslim man succeeded in building a civilisation in the past, they are capable of resuming it," he added.

Sheikh Mohammed said the Arab world possesses all potentials, including human resources, education, fertile lands and will power.

"The only thing missing is the management. The management of governments, economy, resources, infrastructure and even management of sports. We are 300 million, almost equal to the population of the United States, but look how many medals they win in the Olympic Games. We have failures in certain areas that need to be addressed."

Asked about his greatest personal achievement, Sheikh Mohammed said: "The UAE has many achievements that my brother His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, my other brothers, and I, are very proud of. I believe the biggest achievement is the building of the UAE citizens, the citizens who are capable of everything, including running the economy."

He recalled that when the federation was founded by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, "we were just 40 university graduates. Now, we have 77 universities, teeming with thousands of students. We have a programme to reach Mars, fully run by young Emiratis."

Answering a question how the UAE managed to balance economic and tourism openness with security, Sheikh Mohammed said: "The world's problems are open-ended and we have to grow for the interest of our people and our country. If we said 40 years ago let us stop until it is safe, we would'nt achieve anything. We have people who carry out their duty of keeping us secure, while we are engaged in developing our country."

Sheikh Mohammed said the UAE has no recipe for success, but to endeavour, learn, gain expertise and importantly, appreciate the value of time.

"We do not boast perfection. We still learn every day and we waste no time because for us, time is like a running river. The experiment of the UAE speaks for itself for whoever wants to emulate it. All I can say is that we have advanced qualities in leadership and management," he said.

Sheikh Mohammed praised UAE's special relations with Egypt, describing the latter as "the heart and soul of the Arab world."

On how to develop civilisation through separating religion and politics, he said: "During the pre-Islam era, tribes fought and invaded each others and when Islam came, the civilisation started. Today, there are people with half or no knowledge at all, who blow themselves up in Europe and America in the name of faith. Their interpretation of Islam is completely wrong. It is a tolerant faith that calls for peace for all people of the world, not only Muslims. They just want to kill men, enslave women and refer that to religion. They simply know nothing."

Asked if he believed in conspiracy theory, he said: "Yes. Nations plot against other nations. They plot against you because you plan wisely for the welfare of your people. Conspiracies are there since the beginning of the world. However, we cannot only blame conspiracies. Our country suffered conspiracies, criticism, media wars and economic wars, but they only made us stronger."

On the future of UAE relations with the US under the administration of President Donald Trump, Sheikh Mohammed said: "Our relations are built with governments, not individuals. We will talk to the new President, exchange views and build our relations on the mutual interests of our countries and peoples. If you ask me whether previous administrations made mistakes, I would say yes. They destroyed Iraq and they supported Arab revolutions. Instead of turning Iraq into a model state for the Arab world, the country has become the worst example."

Sheikh Mohammed also praised the active participation of women in the UAE, saying 70 percent of women are university graduates.

"About one third of the cabinet is made of women. We believe that no community can function without women's involvement. Soon, women will occupy 50 percent of the cabinet portfolios."

Asked how he manages to be very active, holding meetings, inspecting government facilities and riding horses, he said: "In the UAE, if the day was 48 hours, we would have four cities of the Dubai likes. In fact, we would have two of the UAE likes. Time management is very important. We have to organise our time by making room for physical activity and meditation."

Sheikh Mohammed concluded by speaking about the youth. He said: "When we decided it is time to appoint a minister for youth, I was told that the youth lack experience. I said I do not want their knowledge or experience, I just need to know what they can give us. We contacted universities and we held meetings and then we had (the current Minister of State for Youth Affairs) Shamma AlMazrui, who came up with the idea of youth committees and youth councils in each emirate and even abroad. Today, Shamma has the biggest youth ministry. In fact, she has the biggest ministry in the world."